Shikara*

The luxuriant black tresses of the night
Had countless diamonds studded to them.
A starlit lake on earth, still as a mirror
Where a time had stopped.
The ruffles of the sky’s boundless fabric,
Were reflected in the ripples of the lake.
Languidly, a shikara floated on it,
Silent, like the night surrounding it.
The two of them within it were in such repose
That neither thunder nor lightning
Could break the harmony of their breaths.
No storm could have perturbed the passion
As each gazed deep into the other’s eyes.
Their fingers laced together in such a fervent grip
That no apocalypse could pry them apart.
With the warm sighs of those spirits in union,
The whole ambience seemed to melt in amour.
Rocking to the rousing ardour
Of their lively heartbeats, the earth too
Leapt up with an infectious joy to kiss the heavens.
Amidst this magical microcosm,
That silent shikara floating on that mirror lake,
Slowly faded away towards the horizon
Of that time, which had stopped.

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(*Shikara- a small to medium sized multi purpose wooden boat, sometimes with an ornate canopy. It is iconic of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India.)